Chapter One

They nearly jumped they were wound so tight when the door to their makeshift torture chamber in the FBI building in New York City opened.

"Hello," said a thirty-something, handsome male with gel-free but well styled hair of light brown, almost blonde. His face was long and his jaw square, his nose was more roman but fit on his face nonetheless. Handsome yes, both women sized that up quickly, but not in the traditional sense. With his full lips and blue eyes they tried to figure out the puzzle of his face and found it impossibly charming despite the slightly beaten look of his nose. When Brenda finally checked out the rest of the package she realized he packed a lot of power into his less than average height. "I'm Special Agent-in-Charge Wilbur Thompson."

"Wilbur," Brenda intoned in amazement. The things people named their children. She shook her head and turned away. Carly verified his name with a quick look at the badge he wore off his suit coat pocket. It was kept in a fold over, leather wallet-esque contraption she'd seen in movies and on TV. He looked legit. She'd seen enough Feds to know that the real deal were less witty but for the most part just like their television impersonators.

"Yes, Ms. Brenda Barrette, formerly legally dead, once employed by Deception Cosmetics, legal wife of Jason Morgan, mistress to Michael 'Sonny' Corinthos Jr., Jasper Jacks, Luis Alcazar, et cetera, my first name is Wilbur. My mother's brother bore the same name to his grave at the age of five after a bout with scarlet fever."

"Scarlet fever still exists?" Brenda thought it was something like small pox. You only heard about in reference to the old west or pre-industrial Europe.

"Yes, Ms. Barrette." He turned his attention to Carly. Started and stopped once or twice.

"Spit it out, Wilbur." She was in no mood to coddle some one named after the pig in a children's movie. No matter what story he'd made up to cover.

"Agent Thompson, if you please Mrs. Corinthos. I'd like to remind you that you are here after—"

"Have we been officially charged with something? No," she answered speedily for him. "We haven't been given our one phone call, he haven't been read our rights, we haven't even been cuffed so what the hell makes you think you can lock us up in here and expect us to let you walk all over us?"

"You're right. You aren't here under an official capacity at just this time. I am still gathering the evidence at the scene. I want to have something water tight when I go to the judge and press charges. I'm no fool. I know the record of charges against you, Ms. Barrette, and your husbands—or former husband," he said without looking at Brenda. "Those charges seem to be flimsy and have trouble standing up in court. Despite your previous experiences with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mrs. Corinthos, I think you'll find I run a much tighter and more effective ship than you are used to."

Carly nodded mockingly with an expression of over-agreement on her face. "Oh, I'm sure." Her sarcasm was lost on none.

"Mrs. Corinthos, your husband's here to see you." The sandy brown haired agent had ignored Brenda completely since first introducing himself and continued to do so as he told Carly Sonny'd arrived and as he gauged her reaction. Brenda wasn't thrilled with being ignored.

"Whoa, who called him?" She was panicky. She didn't want Sonny to know before she figured out how she was going to explain this mess to him. "I didn't get my phone call yet. I will i not /i be deprived of my phone call because you—"

"Relax ma'am." Thompson had always had moments of awe that his partner had been able to take the brash women before him. Mrs. Corinthos had always been the bigger mystery of the two. The woman was like a dog with a bone. "Sir?" He opened the door and there was Sonny.

"Sir?" He stepped through and held a hand out towards his wife. The Agent in charge nodded and Sonny pulled Carly to him. She was hesitant to sink into him as she had a thousand times before. She was worried about his reaction to the little stunt she and Brenda had pulled. To his mind she was right to be worried. It was foolhardy, dangerous, stupid, and had scared him to death. If the woman didn't calm down some in their old age he would be buried prematurely not because of his life choices but because his wife was hell fire walking.

He sighed and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "You ok?" She nodded into his chest and began to nuzzle like a frightened little girl. A little girl he swore to protect. "Brenda?" He gazed at the wary woman at the far corner of the room still pacing two steps left then two right.

"I'm fine, but—"

"Agent Thompson," he cut her off, "we'd like some privacy while you see to your business." The Agent nodded and ducked out with a tight grimace. He was glad he didn't have to be the one setting up to explain to his former fiancée and his wife that he'd been less than forthright about his job description.

When the door clicked Sonny braced slightly but kept Carly tucked tight against him. "Now, would one of you please tell me what in hell you thought you were doing?" His tone was harsh but he kept a cheek to the crown of Carly's head. As always after one of them had been in a life-threatening situation he needed as much contact with her as he could get. With Brenda in the room, fully clothed comfort and assurance would have to do.

"Oh, come on Sonny—"

"Shut-up Brenda," Carly called, still held tightly against her husband. Brenda was getting sick of being constantly cut off. Carly'd been at it all day. Sonny'd done it. Even that little boy Wilbur interrupted her. It was like she wasn't allowed to get a word in edgewise. Like it was some kind of new world rule. The first rule was when Brenda finally wants to commit, ditch her. The second rule was ditch her for the chick she hates most. Third, it seemed, was keep her from expressing complete ideas in the form of sentences.

"No. No, Carly. I have been shut up all day. All week. All freaking month because of your little plan."

"My little plan?" Carly yanked out of Sonny's arms, incredulous. "It was your i little /i problem that you needed my help solving. You came to me." She was in Brenda's face in a second and Sonny was trying to step between them soon after.

"And it was i your /i plan that got us apprehended by the FBI, Carly."

"Apprehended? What, that the word of the month on your verbal calendar? You got us caught. My plan was working. Until you had to got some bright idea into your head to ditch it and do things your way. Why even bother coming to me in the first place? You weren't going to listen."

Brenda and Carly hedged back and forth over fault, blame and They took steps towards and away from the line drawn in the said accordingly. Sonny didn't like being no more than a line in the dust to these two. They raged on getting nothing accomplished except eating up what little time he had left and leaving all things vague enough that Sonny would have to drag the whole story out of them separately later.

He'd been absorbed in the tug-of-war between the two furious women when the interrogation room door opened again to a harried Agent Thompson. Sonny's head snapped up and the look on his face was not one Sonny was happy to see.

"Agent Corinthos, there's a message for you. I think you should see this immediately." Thompson handed the file to him.

He flipped it open and nearly threw it on the table.

"Agent," came Carly's weak voice.

"You'll need these Michael." Thompson handed him a leather wallet and gun. Carly watched as Sonny flipped open the credentials. The flash of brass stung her eyes and she felt Brenda move forward to peer at the glare as well. It was starting to sink in. Looking at his face and his absorbed in looking over the objects in his hands Carly's hands whipped out and snatched from his grasp.

He was shocked that she'd taken the credentials instead of the gun. When he'd heard her say i agent /i so faintly over the roar of fury in his head he'd been sure she'd grab for the gun.

"Special Agent Jroso Rimerez, Federal Bureau of Investigation." She drew a sharp breath. The picture was of Sonny. Fuzzy but Sonny.

"It the best I could do on short notice man. We've got to go get him and you're the only one but these two," Thompson waggled a finger at the women, "who's seen the guy. I need you there. I need authoritative but forgettable, got it." Sonny nodded not taking his eyes from Carly's bent head. "Good. Thirty seconds kid." Thompson waited while he took the fold from Carly and put the objects away.

Her eyes finally came to his own. There was shock and disbelief. There was a stillness there he had rarely seen. She seemed suspended. She just stared at him without a word, with out much emotion. Just frozen in confusion but too stunned to grope for a way out of the mire.

"Michael," Thompson warned.

"Coming." Sonny tried not to take his eyes from Carly as he backed out the door. Thompson closed it behind him with a wary look at both the women.

The gentlemen were only a few long strides away when they heard Brenda exclaim, "what the i fuck /i just happened here?"